Briar may have been beaten to hell and back, but where Altair went -especially now, after he had bothered to come fetch her on no more than a gut feeling- she would follow. Each day that passed he proved to be a multifaceted creature with depth she hadn't encountered in her life before, and further, one that truly seemed to care for her. Her wellbeing. Her happiness.
A strange concept. Even her own parents had never seemed so willing to support her.

When Altair boofed, she heaved herself to her paws and followed, not because she felt she had to but because she wanted to.
Thorn winged after them happily.

Briar didn't so much have the same foreboding feeling her mate did, but she did pick up on his stiffness. Tail flagging, muzzle twitching, she canted her head skyward and parted her jaws. The wind wasn't in their favor.
A low growl sent the raven sweeping head, wings beating harder until hed vanished. After a few moments a caw of warning rattled back to them, and Briars hackles started to rise slowly.
She sent a glance at Altair.

Thorn came winging back quickly, soaring higher, screeching loud -- spooked, she thought. Predator, she assumed. The little shit didn't speak, but she'd learned how to read him pretty well by trial and error, by listening to his calls and seeing what was on the other side. She was confident in her assessment.

Then the scream split the air.

Briar knew the sound of a fucking cat.

Her hackles flashed up fully, lips pulling into a snarl -- corners twisted up at the edges. She could smell Cedar nearby, too, and thought he wouldn't need urging to join, but Altair wanted to make sure. Perhaps he knew the specific scent of whatever this feline was; as it stood, she could only say it wasn't a lynx.
Her stance rose to mirror his, keen on protecting him if she had to.

She barked a short, sharp note, and hollered skyward; Thorn, find! After another few circles overhead, the bird fluttered off into the distance. He'd find whatever familiar face was closest, which she hoped to be her brother. Would he go further? She wasn't sure -- she'd never needed him to do more than find them, screech a little, and come back. They either followed or she did.

Cedar, at least, would recognize the one-legged raven. Would he know what to do with it in a setting they were both welcome, or would he still see the summons? Lovett had mentioned the little feathered bat being insistent the day they met; would he be now?
So much with the bird was.... experimental.
And he was more sentimental than she.

She was hoping he'd return with backup before the cat got close enough for either party to engage, but Altair twisted in place to take up a more ferocious stance. Damn, she thought, followed by, fuck it. What was life without a little tea party every once in a while?

Briar thrusted herself beside her partner once again and felt the giddiness rise in her throat. It wasn't even close to the size of the tiger she'd seen when she was a kid, and that guy had only surprised her because he'd jumped out of a bloody fuckin' tree.

They could do this.

Probably.

A thundering snarl echoed Altair's warning, tail flagging high.

Briar's gaze raked the feline, jaws gaping in a feral snarl, waiting - for it to move, for Cedar to join them, for Altair to move, anything. A snake, prepared to strike.

Less prepared than the Zenith.

Briar was distracted by Thorn wheeling back, cawing his victory as her brother raced beneath him, whuffing back a pleased sound to both of them. Extra-good bits of prey for him, tonight! The bird fluttered, soaring, dipping -- celebrating and searching alike.

He didn't catch sight of the cat before it lunged.

The Deadwood shrieked a terrible sound and exploded into motion at the same time as the cat, but her partner was quicker. Thorn screeched in fear, a single feather plucking from his ass as he lifted higher into the sky -- lifting higher, higher, circling until he was no more than a speck.
Maybe he had learned, from the lynx.

Briar lagged long enough to watch and scent the air for blood, Altair's dusky form stepping in front of her to snarl at the feline.

A spectacularly poor choice.

Briar tossed her head like an angry bull from side to side, heartbeat rushing into her ears.

She heard Altair offer it a chance to leave.

It's pelt will stay intact,

She didn't give it more than the time it took for her to charge around Altair and set her gaping fangs right for its fucking face.

on the floor of our den.